Symptoms of lung infection in children

Children are in a stage of life when their immune system is relatively weak. They are easily infected and attacked by external bacteria. If they are not protected, they are prone to many diseases. Pediatric pneumonia caused by pediatric lung infection is one of the common pediatric infections. As parents, we certainly don’t want our children to get pneumonia, so how do we determine whether our children’s lungs are infected?

Clinical manifestations

1. Mild pneumonia

(1) The fever is usually high.

(2) The cough starts with a frequent, irritating dry cough, followed by a sputum sound in the throat. The cough may be accompanied by vomiting and choking on milk.

(3) Respiratory symptoms include shallow and rapid breathing, nasal flaring, and mild cyanosis around the mouth and nails in some children.

(4) Systemic symptoms In addition to respiratory symptoms, children may also have systemic symptoms such as mental depression, irritability, loss of appetite, shivering, and diarrhea.

2. Severe pneumonia

(1) Respiratory symptoms: shallow and rapid breathing, up to 80 times per minute, flaring of the nostrils, three-depression sign, groaning during exhalation, obvious cyanosis of the face and extremities, and even pale or grayish complexion. Dense, fine, moist rales can be heard in both lungs.

(2) Circulatory system symptoms: Infant pneumonia is often accompanied by heart failure.

(3) Neurological symptoms: ① Irritability, drowsiness, staring, squinting, and upward movement of the eyes. ② Drowsiness, even coma and convulsions. ③Conjunctival edema. ④Pupil changes, slow or absent reaction to light. ⑤Irregular breathing rhythm. ⑥ The anterior fontanelle is bulging, there are signs of meningeal irritation, and except for the increased cerebrospinal fluid pressure, everything else is normal. This is called toxic encephalopathy. In severe cases, the intracranial pressure is even higher and brain herniation may occur.

(4) Digestive system symptoms: Children may experience decreased appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal distension. In severe cases, the vomitus may be coffee-colored or bloody, bowel sounds may disappear, and they may suffer from toxic intestinal paralysis and toxic hepatitis.

(5) Acidosis can occur as metabolic acidosis, respiratory acidosis, or mixed acidosis.

Pediatric pneumonia caused by pediatric lung infection is a relatively dangerous disease among children. Although pediatric pneumonia itself is less harmful, the complications caused by pediatric pneumonia are very dangerous. If not treated in time, it can easily lead to serious consequences such as hypoxic encephalopathy, toxic shock, heart failure, and even endanger the child's life.